WATER BIRDS 



287 



seize their prey, be it fish or frog, with tlieir long sharp bills. 

 The young are altricial. 



There are probably twenty species of storks, all but two of which are 

 found in the Old World. The migratory stork of Europe is the most famous. 

 Their clumsy nests are known over the world. 



Fig. 234. — American egret (Ard'ea egret' ta). Length, 41 inches. (Photo- 

 graph from specimen with neck extended.) 



The herons are variously called the bittern, the great blue heron, the 

 green heron, the great white egret, and the " squawk." Many have 

 ornamental crests and plumes. Some herons stand in waiting, while 

 others run rapidly and noisily through the water, depending on their 

 agility in capturing their prey. Some stalk slowly and silently along in 

 shallow water, the head carried in front in a line with the shoulders, and 

 the large eyes scrutinizing every object in the water. Herons and ibises 

 are gregarious, nesting and roosting in flocks, but feeding individually. 



